MUSIC is one of the most important contributors to the emotional impact of your movie. And when it's done right, we're not supposed to notice it. This month, SDF presents a panel of accomplished composers to tell us how they create this crucial piece of movie magic. They'll take us through the business end of licensing music and contracting musicians, as well as the creative side of how the score can make your monster scarier or a character's tragic loss more heart-tugging. This special event will prove especially valuable for directors, producers, aspiring composers, and anyone interested in learning more about the fascinating craft of film score composing.

Emmy Award winning composer LARRY GROUPÉ's TV scoring credits include "Commander in Chief" starring Geena Davis and "Line of Fire," for which Groupé was nominated for a second Emmy. His film scores include The Contender (Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges), Man About Town (Ben Affleck), and the upcoming Resurrecting The Champ (Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett). Larry worked as an orchestrator on The Usual Suspects and Apt Pupil and has also been known to contribute to local projects by Karl Kozak and the John DeBello as well as the award winning short film In The Morning. He has a Masters in Music Composition from UCSD.

CHRISTOPHER FARRELL has scored over twenty-five independent feature films, including three Roger Corman films (Hard As Nails, Shakedown, Slaughter Studios) and seven for cult director Rolf Kanefsky (Tomorrow By Midnight starring Carol Kane and The Hazing with Brad Dourif). His most recent projects include the horror films Claustrophobia and Blue Demon and he is currently scoring the documentary Steve McQueen, Portrait Of An American Rebel.

New Age artist DAVID HELPLING has created dynamic and inventive scores for feature films Trade Offs, John DeBello's Black Dawn and Night Feeders. He also scores and provides post-production audio services for over 100 corporate and broadcast clients.

Just Added: CESAR BENITO comes to our panel from Spain. His credits include the award winning films Girls Never Call, Behind The Curtain, and Cielito Lindo. He recently completed the orchestral score for Gustavo Ron's feature film Mia Sarah featuring a stellar cast of Spain's top actors. Cesar also served as Music Director for the opening of the Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Hollywood, where he had the honor of performing with Robert Goulet. He graduated magna cum laude from Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music in 2001.

Come network with your San Diego filmmaking peers from 5:30 to 6:30, then stay to all about film composing!

Don't forget to bring your business cards and head shots! And please be sure to tell everyone you know in the San Diego filmmaking community about this exciting, free event. See you there.

(scheduled guest speaker and content subject to change)